


Bumbleby Week 2020

by JacksonCalico



Category: RWBY
Genre: Bumbleby Week, Bumbleby Week 2020, F/F, Fluff, the sunflakes is only in chapter 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24491305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JacksonCalico/pseuds/JacksonCalico
Summary: It's Bumbleby week which means it's time to think about the bees
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee/Sun Wukong
Comments: 32
Kudos: 126





	1. Blake's Ring/Sunflower Pop Cap

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes you and your lady love both have sentimental gold objects that remind you of each other

“Hey, Blake, whatcha got there?”

Blake looked up from the small object in her hands, fingers quickly curling over each other to hide it from view. “What?”

They were in team RWBY's Atlas dorm room, waiting for their teammates to return from a mission that was running late.

Blake had settled down onto her bed after changing into her pajamas, and when Yang slipped down from her own bed to get changed, she noticed a flash of gold from in between Blake's fingers.

Yang pointed at Blake’s cupped hands, tilting her head to the side curiously. “What are you playing with?”

Blake hesitated, slowly opening her hands to reveal a golden ring, ears tilting forward slightly as Yang leaned closer, examining the small piece of jewelry. 

"When did you get that?" The blonde asked, an odd sensation of familiarity blooming in her chest, almost as if she had seen the ring before but couldn't recall when.

“When I was back home, in Menagerie.” Blake started to fiddle with the ring, turning it over in her hands. “I found it while out fishing with my mother.”

Yang leaned closer, a clear look of confusion on her face. "Really? I could have sworn you’ve had it longer than that.”

"What do you mean?" Blake asked, ear twitching. 

"I don't know, it just seems… familiar." Yang sat down on the bed beside Blake, peering over the faunus's shoulder to get a better look at the ring. "I swear I've seen it somewhere before."

"Weird…" Blake whispered, slightly breathless. There was a strange awestruck look on her face, golden eyes wide and full of wonder as they drifted across every feature on Yang's face. 

But it was gone in an instant, replaced by an emotion she couldn't name, and Yang honestly wasn't sure if the look had actually been there or if she had simply imagined it.

"Yeah…" Yang slipped her hand into the front pocket of her jumpsuit, hand curling around a small metal object. "Weird…"

Yang smoothed her fingers along the ridges of the bottle cap, thumb pressing briefly into the familiar slight indent on its side.

She'd found her bottle cap by the ocean too, along Patch's beach as she prepared to set out towards Mistral, brought in by the waves to find itself at her feet.

Yang had felt drawn to the bottle cap when she'd seen it, as weird as it sounded, and she'd kept it in her pocket ever since.

Maybe it was the same for Blake and the ring, an odd sensation for an object she had never seen before, something telling her to pick it up and take it with her away from the shoreline.

It reminded Yang of the night she had spent with Blake down in Vale, drinking Sunflower pop and blowing up dance clubs, just two kids having a night out on the town.

She would be lying if she said that night hadn't been one of her favorite outings during her time at Beacon, _her time with Blake._

"It's a nice ring." Yang said after a moment, breaking the silence and slipping her hand out of her pocket. "You were pretty lucky to find it."

"Yeah," Blake said quietly, tearing her eyes away from Yang to gaze back down at the ring. "I was…"

Yang couldn't help but think, as she got up and made her way to the bathroom, that maybe she was lucky too, for finding her bottle cap.

It was either that, or plain old destiny and the fates that lead her to the beach, to the bottle cap that fateful day.

Whatever it was, Yang couldn't help but feel glad that she had found it. 

It served as a little reminder of the wonderful night she shared with Blake, so many months ago.


	2. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We love each other, no matter the scars our bodies carry.

It happens when they’re getting ready for bed one night, when Yang walks into team RWBY’s shared bathroom, and sees Blake rubbing at her left hip, at her scar.

And it hurts Yang a little bit, to see Blake standing there, staring at herself in the mirror, ears tilted back, her thumb pressing firmly into the sensitive skin on her hip. She looks so defeated, a sharp pain in her eyes and tension in her shoulders not from the scar itself, but the dark memories it holds from the night it was permanently marred onto her body.

“Blake?” Her voice cracks a little when she says her partner’s name. “Are you okay?”

"I'm fine." Blake said immediately, but Yang wasn't convinced. Blake wasn't looking at her, eyes locked onto her hip and the scar that lay there.

"Blake…" She stepped forward to stand in front of the mirror alongside Blake. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Blake retracted her hand and pulled her shirt back down to cover her scar.

"Is your scar bothering you?"

"No…"

_"Does_ it ever bother you?"

Blake was quiet for a long moment before nodding slowly. "Sometimes… but it's fine, I'm fine."

Blake turned to face Yang, fingers twitching at her side as she drifted closer. "Can I…"

"Of course." Yang opened her arms and wrapped them around Blake as the faunus stepped into her space. 

"I'm sorry."

"You're fine, you have nothing to be sorry for."

Yang rubbed the shorter woman's back soothingly as Blake buried her face in her neck, cat ears twitching against her chin.

Yang pulled away after a few minutes, hands shifting to smooth over Blake's biceps. Her eyes drifted slightly downwards to Blake's hip, to the x-shaped scar hidden beneath her clothing.

She slid her prosthetic hand off of Blake's arm to hover over her hip. "Is this okay?"

At Blake's slight nod she cupped the side of her hip, thumb brushing gently over her shirt where she knew the scar was.

That night was filled with bad memories, horrible experiences and emotions Yang never wanted to, _hated_ to revisit. 

The night Blake got her scar. The night she lost her arm.

The night _he_ hurt them.

Yang drops to her knees and kneels in front of Blake, eyes turned upwards, silently asking for permission, lifting Blake’s shirt up when it’s granted.

One of Blake’s hands drops to curl around Yang’s on her hip, the other shifting to tangle into long blonde locks, a sad smile on her face as she stares down at the partner. 

Yang leans forward and places a gentle kiss against Blake’s scar, and Blake’s hand drops from her hair to cup her cheek. When Yang pulls away and stands back up, Blake drops her head onto her shoulder, right arm wrapped around her back, left hand grasping her prosthetic tightly. 

“Was that okay?” Yang whispers into her ear, left arm shifting to return Blake’s hug, their clasped hands hanging at their sides. 

“Yeah…” Blake says back, lifting their joined hands to kiss Yang’s wrist, before pressing her face into the crook of Yang's neck.

Yang squeezes her hand, tightening her hold around the faunus's back, head lowering to rest her cheek against Blake's head.

_'I love you.'_ She wants to say, but can't, can't bring herself to break the quiet around them, can't ruin their fragile moment of vulnerability. 

So she sticks with another squeeze to Blake's hand, a silent 'I love you' to the woman she cares about most in the world. 

_'I love you too.'_ Blake's squeeze says back, and it's enough. It's all they needs for now. 

_We love each other, no matter the scars our bodies carry._


	3. Soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her mother was right, all those years ago, when she told her that meeting her soulmate felt like home. 
> 
> She didn't understand it back then, but she definitely does now.
> 
> Standing there, in her friend's shitty kitchen, with Yang, she feels at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a little bit of a soulmate au, as a treat

Blake had been hearing about soulmates ever since she was a little girl.

She’d heard about them from her parents, from her friends, from strangers on the street.

Her other half, her greatest friend or her most beloved. 

Her soulmate. 

_'The first time you touch,'_ They would always say. _'You'll know it's them, that you've finally found the missing piece of your soul.'_

Her parents were soulmates, had found each other young and stayed together ever since. 

One time, when Blake was still a small child, her mother described the feeling to her.

_"It feels like coming home after years of being away."_ Kali had said to her, hand combing gently through Blake's hair. _"Like you've spent decades without being able to relax and then finally you can."_

Home, that was how her mother had described it, that she had met Ghira for the first time and it felt like she had come home to a warm meal and a soft bed. 

It sounded nice, to meet your soulmate. 

And it was that story and all others like it that drove the kids on the playground during recess to shake each other's hands, the easiest and most casual method of contact, just to see if they could experience that feeling and find that special someone.

It was how she had met Sun, at age seven on the playground, when he had waltzed over and outstretched his hand to introduce himself with a big smile and hopeful eyes. 

They weren't soulmates, found that out pretty quickly after she took his hand and nothing extraordinary happened, but they became friends, and when they went off to college years later, they ended up applying to the same school. 

That's where Sun met his soulmate, by a total fluke accident that left him shell shocked and standing in the middle of the quad, staring at his soulmate for five minutes straight without a word. 

Blake knew Weiss Schnee, had for a couple of weeks after being in the same classes as her, but she never expected that someone like her would end up with someone like Sun. 

They were polar opposites, but maybe that's just what destiny wanted, two people who could balance each other out.

But even then, it's still a bizarre moment when it happens. 

"Blake!" She turned around at the sound of her name, halting in the middle of the quad as Sun ran up to her and Weiss. 

"Hey Sun." Blake glanced over at Weiss and saw a pensive look on her face. "Weiss?"

"Do I know you?" The short woman asks, squinting at Sun. 

"Don't think so. I'm Sun Wukong." Sun says cheerfully, sticking his hand out towards Weiss, and it's not at all like what used to happen on the playground. 

Back then, kids only did it to see what happened, but now it's so casual Blake doubts they're even thinking twice about shaking each other's hands.

Blake's never seen a pair of soulmates meet before, but it's just as awkward as she'd imagined it'd be.

Weiss accepts his handshake, but before she can say her name she freezes, and Sun's ever moving-tail stills behind him.

It's as if the moment they touch that everything else in the world ceases to be.

Sun's eyes are wide in awe, and it only takes a few seconds before his tail starts back up again. Weiss is slower to react, blinking and staring at Sun with her mouth slightly agape for several long moments.

And then there's Blake, standing awkwardly beside them as they stare at each other not saying a word. 

"I'm Weiss…" The silence is broken between them, and Sun nods with the biggest smile on his face. 

Blake watches on as they exchange phone numbers, fumbling through the process with the most nervous looks on their faces. 

It's the first time Blake has ever seen soulmates meet, the first time those stories she heard as a child start to mean something.

She wonders when she'll get to meet her other half.

\--

Weiss and Sun start to hang out more often, and sometimes Blake gets to tag along. 

It's what leads her to where she is now, standing in front of the door to Weiss's apartment with Sun, waiting for someone to let them in as he fiddles with the collar of the shirt Blake had forced him to put on.

"Stop messing with your shirt." 

"I can't help it." He whispers, tail flicking. "It's uncomfortable."

A young woman with red-tipped hair opens the door before Blake can respond, and she lights up at the sight of them and turns to yell something into the apartment. "Oh Weiss, your boyfriend's here!"

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Weiss shoves the young woman away from the door seconds later, face bright red. "Ignore her."

"I'm Ruby."

"Please ignore her."

Blake rolled her eyes and stepped inside of the apartment to shake hands with Ruby. As usual, nothing happened, no soulmate found today.

Or so she thought.

Ruby darts away to lean around a corner into the kitchen. "Yang, we have company."

"I heard."

Ruby glances back at Blake and mouths 'my sister's at her, jabbing a finger towards the kitchen. 

Moments later, a tall blonde woman appears from around the corner, and Blake feels her breath hitch in her throat. 

She's beautiful, with long blonde hair and bright lilac eyes, broad shoulders and toned biceps, her right arm a brightly painted yellow prosthetic. 

She's gorgeous, and there's a soft gentleness in her eyes that Blake had never seen on anyone before.

And it's like she was a child on the playground all over again, with her head full of stories of souls and destiny and hope. 

For the first time, Blake feels the urge to shake someone's hand.

But she can't, not yet, because Yang only smiles and waves before returning to the kitchen.

The night goes smoothly, some games and a movie, no sudden soulmate reveals or fate driven drama. 

That is, until Blake finds herself alone in the kitchen, trying to reach a cup in a cabinet and failing miserably.

She's not short by any means, but some monster in the house decided to put the cups on the very top shelf of the cabinet, somewhere she couldn't reach without climbing.

Maybe it was destiny that put them there, or just a crazy coincidence.

Maybe it was also a coincidence that Yang was the one that came to her aid. 

"Here, let me help you."

And then suddenly, as the glass was placed into her hands with the slightest brush of fingers, everything she had ever heard about soulmates became true.

It was like drinking water for the first time, after spending years without so much as a drop. It felt as though she had finally found something she had been looking for her whole life, without so much as the clearest idea as to what she was looking for. 

Standing there, staring at Yang, someone she had only met less than two hours ago, she felt like she had found a missing part of herself that she didn’t even know was there. 

And Yang seems to feel it too, because her eyes are wide, her jaw is slack, and she's looking at Blake as if she had put every single star in the sky just for her to see.

Her mother was right, all those years ago, when she told her that meeting her soulmate felt like home. 

She didn't understand it back then, but she definitely does now.

Standing there, in her friend's shitty kitchen, with Yang, she feels at home.

Maybe destiny led her there after all.


	4. AU Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to do more medieval bees but didn't have the time so here's some Stablehand instead

"Yang!"

Blake poked her head around the stable doors, mouth twitching into a smile at the sight of her girlfriend working. 

Yang looked up and smiled back at her, removing her gloves and giving Gambol Shroud a goodbye pat on the nose. "Goodmorning Blake."

"Morning sunshine." Blake crossed the stable threshold and darted over to Yang, her girlfriend pulling her into a hug as soon as she was close enough to do so. "What time does your shift end today?" 

"Same time as always." Yang kissed the top of Blake's head, thumbs drawing little circles into the small of the faunus's back. "Why do you ask?"

"There's somewhere I want to go with you, if you're up for it." Blake whispered into her ear.

"I'm not sneaking you into the city again," Yang said with a playful grin as Blake pulled back and rolled her eyes. "One time was enough for me."

"You're no fun." Blake leaned into Yang and wrapped her arms around the stablehand's neck. "No but seriously, do you want to go somewhere with me later?"

"Will it get us in trouble?"

Blake pressed their foreheads together and tangled her fingers in Yang's hair. "Probably not."

Yang shook her head, but smiled, tilting her head to press a quick kiss to Blake's cheek. "Alright, I'm in."

"Good, because I was gonna drag you there even if you said no."

"Love you too sweetheart."

\--  
"A garden?"

"I thought we could go on a little walk in the palace garden." Blake intertwined their fingers and squeezed them tightly. "You know, like as a date…"

"You know you could have just said it was a date earlier." Yang teased, eyes soft and gentle. "I wouldn't have said no."

"I know." Blake pressed against Yang's side. "I just wanted to surprise you."

"Then let's not keep the surprise waiting any longer."

Yang smiled warmly and gently tugged on Blake's hand to lead them to one of the garden's paths, steps light and easy.

"I love you." Blake whispered to her beloved as they started on their journey into the garden. 

The blonde stablehand paused briefly to give Blake a quick peck on the lips, smile wide and carefree when she pulled away.

"I love you too."


	5. Affection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bunch of times the bees were casually affectionate feat. suffering Weiss and Ruby

"Oh, you have to be kidding me."

Ruby peered around Weiss and into team RWBY's Atlas dorm room. "They're cuddling again, aren't they?"

"Yep."

Ruby took a tentative step into the room, glancing at Blake's bed, mouth twitching into a small smile at the sight of the faunus woman and Yang curled up on the bed together, fast asleep.

"Should we leave them alone?" Weiss whispered, choosing to remain standing in the doorway.

"Yeah probably, let me just plug my scroll in real quick and then we can go." Ruby tiptoed her way over to one of the desks. "We'll just bring them back something to eat."

"They're so lucky I'm happy for them."

"Five lien they don't even realize they're dating."

"Ten lien that they're secretly dating and think they're good at hiding it."

"Deal."

\--

"Hey, Blake?"

Blake hummed, ear flicking in Ruby's direction. 

"Why are you wearing Yang's jacket?"

"I got cold." Blake didn't look up from her book as she responded. "And her jacket was just the closest thing I could find."

"Blake your jacket is literally hanging right next to you."

"So it is."

Ruby smiled and held back a laugh as Blake finally looked up from her book and blushed. 

"You can just say that you like wearing her jacket." Ruby teased, rocking back and forth on her feet. "No need to lie to your team leader about it."

Blake groaned quietly and let go of her book to bury her face in her hands. "Why am I friends with you?"

"Cause I'm your team leader and you enjoy my company." Ruby flopped down onto the bed beside Blake. "That, and you have a huge crush on my sister."

"No, I don't-"

"Yes, you do Blake." Ruby turned her head to look at her teammate. "Everyone knows you like her."

"...do they really?"

"Oh my gods yes, it's so obvious."

Blake started to fiddle with the zipper on Yang's jacket. "Ok so maybe I'm a little obvious."

"Obvious is an understatement."

"Wow no need to be so blunt about it."

"Oh that's rich coming from you."

"I regret ever becoming your friend."

\--

A couple of days later, Ruby sees them walking around the academy holding hands and whispering to each other. 

She leaves them be, for now, mostly because she promised Penny she'd meet up with her soom.

That, and there's no way she would willingly insert herself near whatever was going on between them at the moment.

She'd seen her sister's horrid flirting before, and she'd rather throw herself at a Beowulf than see it again any time soon. 

\--

Yang always lets Blake fall asleep against her shoulder during briefings. 

"Hey Blake-"

Yang shot Weiss a quick glare, raising her finger up to her lips as Blake stirred against her shoulder. 

"Oh you have got to be kidding me."

"Weiss, please," Yang pleaded, glancing between her partner and teammate. "Just let her sleep."

"We're in the middle of a briefing."

"Please Weiss."

"I hate you two."

\--

"Yang, why are you carrying Blake?"

"My legs hurt."

"Her legs hurt."

Weiss sighed and shot Ruby an exasperated look. 'Can you believe this.'

Ruby shrugged with a smile, and Weiss shook her head, whispering to her partner once the pair in question were far enough away. 

"I hate them and love them at the same time. They're so oblivious."

"Oh Weiss, it's not that bad."

"They're pining is going to literally be the death of me."

"Don't be so dramatic. I mean, how much worse could it get."

\--

It could get so much worse.

"What are they doing?"

"I think they're just…. staring at each other?"

Weiss sighed, shaking her head. "I love them, but this is getting absurd."

"I didn't know two people looking at each could hold so much romantic tension." Ruby muttered, tilting her head. "I can practically feel their love for each other radiating off of them."

"I'm gonna tell them."

"Don't tell them."

"I want to tell them."

"Please don't tell them."

\--

"Hey, Yang?"

"Yes, Weiss?"

"Is that a picture of Blake as your lock screen?"

Yang's face flushed bright red, and she fumbled with her scroll. "N-no."

Weiss smirked knowingly, and leaned closer. "I could have sworn that was a picture of Blake. How many cat faunus women with amber eyes do you know?"

"... ok so maybe it was a picture of Blake."

"Y'know we all know you like her, right?" Weiss said, adjusting her coat. "You're not exactly subtle about it."

"I know."

"Oh so you are aware you're hopelessly in love with her."

Yang lightly shoved Weiss's shoulder. "Shut up."

"You should really just confess to her Yang." Weiss brushed off of her shoulder and playfully nudged Yang back. "She's not going to reject you."

Their scrolls beeped before they could respond, and Weiss reached over and pat Yang on the shoulder. 

"Just tell her. I hate seeing you two dance around each other like this."

Yang gave Weiss a nervous, slightly suspicious smile, and Weiss vaguely had a feeling she was going to be ten lien richer sometime in the near future.

\--

Ruby slammed the door open to their dorm room a couple of days later, and collapsed onto Weiss's bed.

"What happened?"

"You were right." Ruby mumbled into the sheets, reaching up to yank the hood of her cloak over her head.

Weiss glared at her partner. "What do you mean?"

"I can't believe I owe you ten lien. They've been dating this whole time and didn't tell us."

"Wait, what happened?"

Ruby finally lifted her head off of the bed and sat up, face bright red. "I may or may not have walked in on them making out."

Weiss's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "Are you serious?"

"Weiss, I wish I could unsee what I just saw. No one ever wants to see their sister making out with someone."

Weiss laughed, shaking her head. "Well, it's nice to know they have a reason for their disgustingly cute affection for each other."

"...does this mean I still owe you ten lien?"

"Yes Ruby, now pay up."


	6. Sun/Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like sitting out on the roof looking at the stars with your special lady friend

The only good thing about being in Atlas, was that it was close to the stars.

They were hard to see stars, but stars nevertheless. 

Still, the stars and the moon were what brought Blake out onto the rooftop of Atlas Academy in the first place. 

Maybe it's what also led to Yang sitting beside her, braving the harsh wind just for a chance to look up at the stars and see the entire galaxy stretched out before them.

"Y'know, you kind of remind me of the moon sometimes." Yang whispered, not looking at Blake, eyes turned upward. 

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to explain it…" Yang leaned back on her hands, knee bumping lightly against Blake's. "It just kind of suits you, I guess."

"You know the moon disappears sometimes, nights with a new moon and all that." Blake whispered hesitantly, and Yang sat up, finally turning to look at her with a sad, gentle smile.

"Yeah," Yang reached out and curled her fingers around Blake's hand. "But it always comes back, and that's what matters, right?"

"That, and the moon is beautiful just like you." Yang squeezed her hand gently, a sweet little smile on her face.

Blake scooted closer, dropping her head onto Yang's shoulders, cuddling into her warmth. "You're too kind to me."

"Well, it's what you deserve." Yang rubbed Blake's knuckles with her thumb. "Only the best for Blake Belladonna."

"Gods, you're so cheesy." Blake chuckled quietly, intertwining their fingers. 

They sat in silence for a couple more moments, before Blake spoke up again.

"As much of a coincidence this is, you kind of remind me of the sun."

"Is it because I'm blonde?"

Blake rolled her eyes, lifting her head from Yang's shoulder to look her in the eye.

"No, not just that. For starters, you're warm." Blake pressed impossibly closer to Yang's side as a rather chilly breeze blew past by them. "Which I'm very grateful for in moments like these."

"Secondly, you might as well be the physical embodiment of sunshine." Blake idly fiddled with Yang's fingers. "You have this bright aura around you that I can't explain."

"Wow Blake," Yang nervously ran her free hand through her hair. "You really know how to flatter a girl."

"Well, it's the truth."

Yang laughed quietly, shaking her head. "And you call me cheesy."

"Shut up."

Yang chuckled, letting go of Blake's hand to wrap her arm around the faunus's waist. "You're lucky you're cute."

"Didn't you say that I was beautiful earlier?"

"You can be both Blake, don't be such a smartass."

"I thought you liked my ass."

Yang groaned and dropped her head to hide her face in Blake's shoulder. "Can't I just give you one compliment in peace? Is that too much to ask for?"

"Yes, now be quiet and let me admire the stars in peace."

"I hate you so much."

"You love me."

_Yeah, she did._


	7. Tiger/Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me, writing another soulmate au for bumbleby week? More likely than you think 
> 
> This prompt got a little out of hand, and I wasn't able to complete it in time so here's a preview instead

Almost everyone in the world had a soulmate.

And for every soulmate bond, there was a mark.

An identical mark, on the same part of their body, a sign of their joined souls intertwined together and permanently marred on their bodies. 

A mark was special, precious, something that a lot of people bore and protected with utmost care.

Or at least, that was what Blake had been told as a child. 

Her teen years would be plagued with doubt, about the truth of soulmates and what they meant, about the reality of someone out there bearing a mark just like her own.

About whether or not she was even worthy of having a soulmate.

All that she knew was that the mark on her left hip was her own, shared only by one other person in the world.

Her missing piece, her other half.

Her soulmate.

\--

 _"Soulmates are special._ " Her mother had told her one day, when she was barely four years old and had asked about the intricate mark on her body. _"They can be your most treasured friend or your most dearly beloved."_

_"How will I know, when I find them?"_

_"They'll have the same mark as you, but marks are precious and not very easily shown."_ Her mother went on to explain, fixing Blake's shirt so it hid her mark. _"When someone shows you their mark, it means they trust you. Never destroy that trust, Blake."_

Blake had only ever seen her parents' marks before she joined the White Fang, a large panther splayed out on a belladonna flower, asleep and carefree. 

_"Sometimes marks can be literal."_ Kali had told her, fingers rubbing at the beautiful mark on her wrist. _"You just never know how literal they can be until you meet your soulmate."_

Her parents' marks made sense. A panther on a belladonna, for a panther faunus and a woman with the last name Belladonna. 

But Blake didn't understand if her mark had any literal meaning, not one she could easily figure out anyway. 

A tiger and a dragon, splayed out together like a yin yang symbol on her hip.

It would make more sense, when she would meet her soulmate years later. 

But for now, all it did was leave her curious about who the other half of her soul was, and what they were like.

\--

When Blake ran away to join the White Fang at the ripe old age of twelve, she learned that soul marks were not held at such an importance as her parents' said they ought to be.

Or at least, not to Adam.

Adam told her that soul marks meant nothing. 

He said that they were pointless, useless, held nothing of gain to anyone or anything.

And for a while, she believed him, because what else was she supposed to do?

She was reminded of it every time she saw his face, saw the brand across his eye, _the brand across his mark._

She listened to him, for years she listened to him.

Now, she wishes she never met him at all.

\--

Yang didn't know how to feel about the mark on her lower right bicep.

Her family had a troubled history with soul marks. Her father was a rarity, a man born with two marks instead of one, but Yang rarely ever saw either of them anymore.

He had always hidden one of his marks away from her, the one belonging to her biological mother, a singular raven feather on her right shoulder. 

He started to hide Summer's mark after she passed away, and it had been so long since Yang last saw it that she couldn't even remember what it was. 

Her Uncle Qrow never spoke about his mark, and Yang had never seen it before either.

Yang always wondered why her mother left, why Raven decided that she couldn't stick around long enough to see her own daughter grow up.

Tai wouldn't talk about it, Qrow refused to talk about it, and there were days where she felt like she would never learn anything about the mysterious woman that had given birth to her and left her behind.

Soulmates and soul marks were a troubled subject in her childhood home, so the only mark Yang knew growing up was her own.

A dragon and a tiger in the shape of a yin yang symbol on her bicep.

Her only connection to someone the universe had made for her.

The only person in the world that Yang hoped wouldn't leave her behind.

\--

Yang had to be the one to teach Ruby about soulmates.

 _"What's that on your arm?"_ Ruby had asked her, barely seven years old and curious about the world around her.

 _"It's my soulmate mark."_ Yang had told her cautiously, knowing what would come next. _"It's how I can find my soulmate."_

"Do I have a soul mark?" Ruby lifted up her arms and checked over her markless skin, searching for something she would not be able find.

Ruby, just like her father, was a rarity when it came to soul marks, but in a completely different way.

Ruby had been born without a soul mark. 

There was a chance one would appear later in life, when she met someone special and the universe decided to give her one as a symbol of the relationship she would have with that person. 

A rarity, to be born without a mark, but Ruby didn't seem to mind when Yang told her as much. 

\--

When Blake is seventeen, she finally leaves the White Fang and Adam for good.

She's all alone, but for the first time in years, she's free. 

She presses her palm against her hip, fingers soothing over her mark, tracing the outline of it through her shirt. 

It brought her comfort, to know that it was still there, that there was someone out there in the world for her. 

But then she would remember everything Adam had said to her, about soulmates, about _herself._

Soulmates were useless, there was no point to them. They meant nothing.

 _She_ was useless. 

_She_ meant nothing.

And with nowhere to go and nothing to do, Blake turns to Beacon Academy as her saving grace.

\--

That first night at Beacon Academy, in an empty ballroom surrounded by dozens of fellow students her age, Blake just wishes everyone would be quiet.

She's bound her ears in a bow before, as a way to fit in amongst humans when she was working with the White Fang, but even with the bow, the sound in the ballroom was loud, distractingly so.

Blake's attention is torn away from her book at the sound of footsteps approaching her, and when she looks up, there's a pretty blonde and a younger girl standing before her.

"Hello! I believe you two may know each other." The blonde said, nudging the younger girl next to her.

"Aren't you....that girl that exploded?" Blake said, looking the young girl up and down. She had blown up part of the courtyard earlier that morning during an altercation with a Schnee, and she seemed awfully young to be attending a huntsman academy.

"Uh yeah, my name's Ruby." The girl, Ruby, reaches a hand out for Blake to shake. She doesn't take it. "But you can just call me crater...yeah actually you can just call me Ruby."

"Okay....."

The blonde leaned into Ruby's side. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know, help me." Ruby said quietly, shifting nervously on her feet.

"So....what's your name?" The blonde asked with a bright smile. 

"Blake."

"Well Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister......" Yang trailed off, looking Blake up and down. "I like your bow."

"Thanks."

"It goes great with your....pajamas." Blake felt the urge to smile as Yang fumbled with her words.

"Nice night, don't you think?" Yang absentmindedly rubbed at an orange bandana wrapped securely around her right bicep, and Blake suddenly felt the urge to touch her own soul mark.

"Yes, it's lovely. Almost as lovely as this book....that I will continue to read.....as soon as you leave." Blake's fingers twitched around her book, her soul mark oddly warm on her skin.

And when Yang and Ruby leave a couple of minutes later, chased away by an aggravated Weiss Schnee, the odd feeling in her soul mark leaves with them. 

She goes to sleep with her hand curled over her hip, over her soul mark, fingers skimming over her skin, searching for that strange feeling she felt earlier.

She doesn’t find it.

\--

All throughout the next morning, Yang is thinking about her soul mark. 

She knows she should be focusing on initiation, _about literally being thrown off a cliff into a Grimm infested forest_ , but she can't shake the feeling that something had happened and she missed it. 

Something about her soul mark, about the strange warm feeling she felt last night when talking to that one girl with the book.

But she doesn't have much time to think about it, because she's trekking through Grimm infested woods and the first person she makes eye contact with will be her partner for the next four years. 

The sister inside her wanted to find Ruby, to make sure she's okay, to continue to look after her even as they learned to become huntresses, but she knows she can't do that.

It's all up to fate now, and fate just so happens to decide to lead her to the girl from the previous night. 

"I could have taken him."

Blake just smirks at her, her weapon in hand, a dead Ursa at her feet, stance confident and powerful.

And if Yang feels a twinge in her soul mark when she sees Blake, she chooses to ignore it. 

For now, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://archiveofourown.org/works/25340053/chapters/61440544
> 
> hey look i finished it


	8. Bonus Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> blake steals yang's shirt

"Hey Blake?"

"Yes Yang?"

"Is that my shirt?"

"...no."

Blake held back a smirk as Yang groaned loudly. "What is it, babe? Is Something wrong?"

"That is definitely my shirt! It’s way too big on you!"

Blake looked down at the oversized Atlas Academy shirt she was wearing and then back up at her girlfriend. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Yang picked up a smaller shirt off of a nearby chair and held it out towards Blake. "So you're telling me that this isn't your shirt?"

"Nope."

Yang pulled the shirt back and checked the tag. "It literally has your name on it."

"Weird."

Yang sighed, but Blake could see a slight smile on her face. "You're lucky I love you."

"Admit it, I look good in your clothes." Blake said teasingly.

"Yes, you look great in my shirt, but I kind of need it back now."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll give you a kiss?"

Blake closed her book and stood up. "Fine."

Yang laughed and shook her head, reaching a hand out for Blake to take, pulling her closer. 

"Are you going to keep up your end of the bargain?" Yang whispered, cupping Blake's cheek.

"Yep."

"You promise."

"I promise."

Yang kissed her sweetly, thumb rubbing her cheek for a brief moment before pulling away. "Can I have my shirt back now?"

"Yes." Blake yanked Yang's shirt over her head and swapped it with the one the blonde had been holding previously.

"Hey Blake?"

"Yes Yang?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Can you please stop stealing my clothes now?"

"Never."

**Author's Note:**

> Twitter : JacksonCalico  
> Tumblr : calicojackson576


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